If you need to find an RV Rental in San Francisco then you must read this article because I will go over where and how you can rent one in the hilly compact city of San Francisco and the surrounding areas.
San Francisco is a very busy and expensive city. Hotels are not cheap and real estate is ridiculous but it is still a booming major metropolitan area. You have professional sports teams in San Fran and the surrounding cities. There is always something to do. But what a lot of people don’t realize is that there are some major wilderness areas outside the city.
You have:
- Yosemitte
- Tahoe
- Redwoods
- Hwy 101 coast
Those are just a few of the destinations. Renting an RV to see those places is the way to go. It sure beats going in a tent everywhere. But the question that always gets asked is where can and should I rent an RV or camper trailer from. You should not trust Craigslist because who knows what is really going on with the RV and neither party is covered by any insurance as far as you know.
When renting an RV in San Francisco you have few options:
- Peer to Peer
- Cruise America
- Dealership
- Speciality Place
Peer to Peer
This one is my favorite. Being in San Francisco or Silicon Valley you have to use technology one way or another. This is AirBnb but for motorhomes and RVs. Basically if you own an RV you place it on one of 2 websites, RVShare or Outdoorsy. You put the price per night and all the specifics and then the website does the rest. As one wanting to rent you go to one of the websites and put in the area you are going to and then you search and choose the one you want to rent. It really is that simple. Check out my review of RVShare here. You pay a little extra for insurance but it is well worth it. In my opinion this is the most affordable and fun way to rent an RV. Of course you have to use some common sense when renting such as don’t do it all at the last minute and don’t rent one that looks used and abused.
Cruise America
This is another good option to choose from. They have locations in most big cities and they are reliable and trustworthy. I have rented from them before and had a good experience. They are a little expensive but I was splitting with 4 other people so it was not that bad for me. They do tend to be a little expensive and they will ding your wallet with a lot of extra charges. But if you do your homework ahead of time you will be just fine with the extra charges. You also should be aware that they have their phone number and name plastered all over the RV. So people will know you are an inexperienced in an RV. If you are okay with that then again this is not a bad option.
Dealership
Their are dealerships that will both sell and rent out RVs. This is also not a bad option if you can find one that will rent. In the city of San Francisco you will have a hard time finding one but if you go to the surrounding cities and suburbs you should be able to find one. Dealerships do tend to be a bit more expensive than the other options and you have to deal with the hours the dealership are open. If you can find a good dealership that has good reviews then you might want to consider this when pricing everything out.
Speciality Place
There will be places that only rent out RVs. They tend to be a bit more expensive but they have the experience behind them. If you can find one that is easy to get to and has good prices then this is also a good option. Just like Cruise America make sure you read all the fine print so you now exactly what you are getting charged for. You will probably have a tough time finding one in the city of San Francisco but you should be able to find one in the surrounding cities.
I’ve laid out a few options for renting an RV in San Francisco with my favorite being the peer to peer option. What ever you choose make sure you do your research. Have a fun safe time on your RV road trip.